bible/religion as fact Options

[*Statues/Shadows*]

In nearly every debate, people always seem to insist on using "I believe this because of my religion" or "it's in the bible."

However, are these actual valid foundations for debate?

[*Zatanna*]

I can give a few:
from dictionary.com

pa‧gan  /ˈpeɪgən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[pey-guhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks.
2. a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim.
3. an irreligious or hedonistic person.
–adjective
4. pertaining to the worship or worshipers of any religion that is neither Christian, Jewish, nor Muslim.
5. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of pagans.
6. irreligious or hedonistic.

From Dictionary of Terms and Tools used by various Pagans

Pagan: Followers of a nature-based religion.

From good ol' wikipedia:

The term pagan is from Latin paganus, an adjective originally meaning "rural", "rustic" or "of the country." As a noun, paganus was used to mean "country dweller, villager." In colloquial use, it would mean much the same as calling someone a 'bumpkin' or a 'hillbilly'. Paganus was almost exclusively a derogatory term. (It is from this derivation of "villager" which we have the word "villain", which the expanding Christians called the Pagans of Northern Europe/Scandinavia). From its earliest beginnings, Christianity spread much more quickly in major urban areas (like Antioch, Alexandria, Corinth, Rome) than in the countryside (in fact, the early church was almost entirely urban), and soon the word for "country dweller" became synonymous with someone who was "not a Christian," giving rise to the modern meaning of "pagan."[1] In large part, this may have had to do with the conservative nature of rural people, who were more resistant to the new ideas of Christianity than those who lived in major urban centers.

In practical applications, it's basically a nature based religion, or what I like to think of as way of life. On a personal level, I never labeled myself as Wicca or Pagan, per se. It was a big deal after "The Craft" came out, which really irked me because what was intended as entertainment turned into a really insulting fad. Anyway, I meditate, A LOT. Everyday, three times a day, at a minimum. I do so in a very systematic and routine way. I always tell my mom (she is VERY religious and strong in the Mormon faith) that she needs to leave me be while I am doing this as she wouldn't want someone interrupting her in the middle of Sacrament (once a week, on Sundays, they do this). I've recently started eating meat again (not really recent, last couple of years and a long story), but it actually pains me to do so, since for a long time I was a vegetarian (vegan for part of that time). I treat trees, flowers, basically the earth with a great deal of respect (which isn't hard to do: don't litter, don't throw cigarette butts everywhere, try to recycle, etc).

Like I said, it's not a religion to me, but a way of life and a way of thinking about others and your surroundings. (That doesn't really answer your question(s), but I thought since I don't have good resources to give, I would at least try to give you a practical application example of what I'm trying to convey here).

PS - I actually have a number of books on the subject, but I have to find them since I haven't yet finished unpacking (I just moved a month ago). I would delve into this further, if you'd like when I finish unpacking (or hit the library, which I'm DYING to do since I've heard the Carnegie Library is really really cool).

Having typed all that, I realize that I am really off the purpose of this topic and for that, I apologize.